AFRICA: The UN envoy said Libya should start the process to hold an election in spring 2019 only after a national conference to discuss its ongoing conflict, rather than hold one next month.

AMERICAS: Tens of thousands protested President Trump’s removal of Jeff Sessions as attorney general, a move they fear threatens the independence of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

ASIA: Rights campaigners launched a backlash in Hong Kong after a senior Financial Times journalist was denied entry to the semi-autonomous city, decrying another blow to freedoms under an assertive China.

EUROPE: Austria launched a probe into an army colonel suspected of spying for Russia for several decades, the latest in a string of cases where Moscow has been accused of espionage in EU states.

MIDDLE EAST: Syrian government forces killed 22 rebels near Idlib province, the deadliest clash to rock a buffer zone where a Russian-Turkish truce is to be enforced.

TECHNOLOGY: Social networks need better regulation to stop them spreading “fake news” and undermining democracy, disillusioned tech pioneers said at an industry conference.

TOP STORY

United States: The administration said that migrants who cross the border illegally will be ineligible for asylum.

The interim rule comes into effect today, under the departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

The rule claimed the President has the power to “suspend the entry of all aliens” deemed “detrimental” to US interests.

Previously, all asylum seekers would be granted a hearing, regardless of how they entered the country.

President Trump has made immigration his flagship issue, recently dispatching 15,000 troops to help secure the southern border.

Cameroon: A popular English-language television host was detained for propagating “fake news”, the Communications Minister announced. (Xinhua)

Libya: The UN envoy said the government should start the process to hold an election in spring 2019 only after a national conference to discuss its ongoing conflict, rather than hold one next month. (Reuters)

Tunisia: President Beji Caid Essebsi criticised this week’s government reshuffle by his prime minister, but denied there was a rift between the two men. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Region: Cabinet ministers from the United States, Mexico and Canada announced they will sign their new trade agreement at the upcoming G20 summit in Buenos Aires. (Reuters)

United States: Tens of thousands protested President Trump’s removal of Jeff Sessions as attorney general, a move they fear threatens the independence of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. (WaPo)

United States: A federal judge in Montana blocked construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to allow the State Department to provide a fuller explanation of how the project would affect the environment. (NYT)

ASIA

Afghanistan: A conference began in Moscow between the Afghan government and the Taliban, with the US observing, a step toward possible formal peace negotiations. (AP)

China: Rights campaigners launched a backlash in Hong Kong after a senior Financial Times journalist was denied entry to the semi-autonomous city, decrying another blow to freedoms under an assertive Beijing. (AFP)

Philippines: A court found former first lady Imelda Marcos guilty of graft and ordered her arrest, though she intends to appeal and is unlikely to serve jail time. (AP)

EUROPE

Austria: Vienna launched a probe into an army colonel suspected of spying for Russia for several decades, the latest in a string of cases where Moscow has been accused of espionage in EU states. (AFP)

Germany: A close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel is proposing a lifelong entry ban to Europe for asylum-seekers convicted of serious crimes. (AP)

Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the country must be cautious about adopting the euro as it should remain open toward other parts of the world. (Reuters)

Turkey: Prosecutors ordered the detention of 103 soldiers with suspected links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric accused of orchestrating a failed coup in mid-2016. (Reuters)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: The fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has expressed “shock and sadness” over reports suggesting that his body may have been dissolved with chemicals. (AP)

Bahrain: The US and Iran both spoke out against the government’s sentencing of the head of the country’s Shi’ite opposition movement to life in prison. (RFE-RL)

Syria: Government forces killed 22 rebels near Idlib province, the deadliest clash to rock a buffer zone where a Russian-Turkish truce is to be enforced. (AFP)